Fact check of the incident
Background
Rumors have spread claiming that Bill Gates’ polio vaccination campaign in India, using the oral polio vaccine (OPV), caused 47,000 children to become paralyzed or disabled. These claims suggest a link between OPV and a condition called non-polio acute flaccid paralysis (NPAFP) and that the Gates Foundation was expelled from India due to these harms. This summary, based on reliable medical journals and evidence, clarifies these claims for a non-medical audience.
Key claims and facts
Claim 1: Some reports say OPV led to a rise in NPAFP, a condition with polio-like symptoms, causing paralysis in many children.
Fact check:
- OPV, a vaccine with a weakened live virus, was crucial in eliminating polio in India, which was declared polio-free in 2014.
- NPAFP can occur due to various causes, like infections or environmental factors. A 2023 study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found no clear evidence that OPV directly causes NPAFP.
- OPV can rarely (1 in 2.7 million doses) cause vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) or mutate into vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), but these cases are extremely rare.
Verdict: Unverified evidence. Although OPV can cause NPAFP, the effect is exaggerated. Other than OPV, the rise of NPAFP can be related to better reporting or other health issues.
Claim 2: Articles allege that 47,000 children were paralyzed or permanently disabled because of OPV.
Fact check:
- World Health Organization data show only 17 cases of vaccine-derived polio in India from 2000 to 2020.
- The 47,000 figure comes from a misread statistical model estimating NPAFP cases, not paralysis caused by OPV.
- No reliable medical journal supports this claim.
Verdict: Misapplied evidence. The claim exaggerates the number and lacks evidence.
Claim 3: The Gates Foundation was forced out of India because of vaccine harms.
Fact check:
- India moved to self-fund its immunization program in 2017, a planned step toward health independence, not a rejection of the Gates Foundation.
- The Gates Foundation continues to work with India on other health programs, like vaccine access.
- The switch from OPV to the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in 2016 was part of a global strategy to reduce rare mutation risks, not a response to harm.
Verdict: False. The claim is incorrect and misrepresents India’s health policies.
Overall verdict: Unsupported. Regarding the incident, there is no conclusive evidence linking the Gates Foundation’s promotion of OPV in India to cases of paralysis or disability in children. While some sources may partially relate to aspects of the claims, there is no direct or comprehensive evidence substantiating the allegation.
